The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Commemorates World Tuberculosis Day as Part of an Investment of 36 Billion FCFA ($60 Million) in 2022 for Tuberculosis and HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment in Cameroon
Yaoundé, CAMEROON— On March 24, the United States Government, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), commemorates World Tuberculosis Day 2022 under the global theme “Invest to End TB. Save Lives.”
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death among people living with HIV globally and a major cause of disease and death in Cameroon. CDC supports TB and HIV activities in Cameroon through funding, technical assistance to the Ministry of Public Health and implementing partners, and clinical services in 308 health facilities across all 10 regions of the country. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC has invested over 194 billion FCFA ($325 million) in Cameroon since 2015 and provides quality prevention, care, and treatment services for all people living with HIV, including children, adolescents, adults, and key and vulnerable populations.
CDC’s 36 billion FCFA ($60 million) TB and HIV assistance in 2022 includes support to Cameroon’s National TB Control Program and National AIDS Control Committee to develop guidelines and policies, procure TB commodities, and provide TB preventive treatment and lifesaving antiretroviral treatment to people living with HIV. Support to clinical and laboratory implementing partners includes strengthening capacity for prevention, surveillance, case finding, diagnosis, laboratory quality assurance, treatment, infection control, and continuous capacity development for healthcare providers. CDC-led program adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic have served benefits beyond TB and HIV and currently support the COVID-19 response. The CDC Country Director in Cameroon, Dr. Emily Kainne Dokubo, stated that this assistance is aligned with the World TB Day 2022 theme – “Invest to End TB. Save Lives” and reflects U.S. Government’s efforts to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes in Cameroon and globally.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed progress towards achieving the UN goal of treating 40 million people for TB and providing preventive therapy to 30 million people by the end of 2022, the U.S. investments are contributing to reduced TB-related disease and death and have accelerated progress to HIV Epidemic Control in Cameroon.